Cardiovascular disease

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Cardiovascular disease
Synonyms	N/A
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations
Complications	Heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death
Onset	Varies by condition
Duration	Long-term
Types	N/A
Causes	Atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity
Risks	Age, family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle
Diagnosis	Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, stress test, coronary angiography
Differential diagnosis	N/A
Prevention	N/A
Treatment	Lifestyle changes, medications, surgery, angioplasty
Medication	Statins, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, antiplatelet drugs
Prognosis	N/A
Frequency	Common
Deaths	Leading cause of death worldwide

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery disease (CAD), such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.

Types

The most common type of cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, is caused by atherosclerosis — a build-up of fatty material and plaque in the walls of the arteries. This build-up narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Risk Factors

There are many risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Some of these include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood cholesterol, poor diet, and excessive alcohol consumption. Age, sex, and family history are also important risk factors.

Prevention

Prevention of cardiovascular disease involves improving risk factors through: healthy eating, exercise, avoidance of tobacco smoke and limiting alcohol intake. Medications and therapy can also be used to manage cardiovascular disease, but they are typically not as effective as lifestyle changes.

Treatment

Treatment for cardiovascular disease typically involves lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, as well as medications to control risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes. In some cases, procedures such as coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery may be necessary.

Gallery

• 
  Cardiac amyloidosis under very high magnification with Movat's stain
• 
  World map of inflammatory heart diseases by DALY, WHO 2004
• 
  Calcified heart
• 
  Cardiovascular calcification by Sergio Bertazzo
• 
  Cardiovascular disease
• 
  World map of cardiovascular diseases deaths per million persons, WHO 2012
• 
  World map of cardiovascular diseases by DALY, WHO 2004

See Also

• Heart disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Stroke
• Hypertension

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Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy